A Blog of One’s Own

I may be in trouble. My husband Ted has started a blog called Ted’s Projects.

This is the same Ted who created that stunning mosaic floor outside my studio, the concrete leaf which has morphed into some alluring rhubarb stepping stones, and so many wonderful and amazing things throughout our married life that it would be impossible for me to mention, or even remember, all of them. Put it this way: the man can do just about anything. You heard me right: anything. Of course, to hear him talk, anybody can do what he does. All our friends and relatives laugh when he says that, and cast stinging rejoinders like, “In my dreams,”  or “Sure, Ted, whatever you say.” They are very amenable because if you know Ted, you have (1) had something fixed by him, (2) had something made by him, or (3) received useful advice for fixing or making something yourself. And for those who think that sounds like bragging, my 4 word (not 4 letter) reply is always “No brag, just fact.”

So why am I in trouble?

Before the fateful day that Ted decided to blog, we were a one blogger couple. He did his thing, and I did mine. Now, I have to contend with constant questions, spoken in this conspiratorial tone, like “What are your stats so far today?” or “Did you post today? I just got 3 posts ready.” or “Do these tags describe that project adequately?”

Is it possible for a human to contract a computer virus?

I don’t get it. Ted always hated writing. And he was never big on bragging, either. Somehow, blogger and bragger have been amalgamated in his brain, like the various concrete mixes he is experimenting with for those rhubarb stepping stones.

I believe an alien has abducted my husband and replaced him with this wily WordPress Wildebeest who can’t proceed on a project, any more, without aiming a camera at it,  so that he can record the steps for his readers. I am starting to have a reflexive blinking reaction, within seeing distance of my husband,  because the camera is flashing so often.

I have a couple years of blogging experience on him, but he only started a few days ago, and already I’m peering with trepidation into my rear view mirror. Are these queries for my “opinion” mere subterfuge so that I can still feel like the blog authority in our household? (I have to admit that he’s usually very considerate of my feelings.) Or is he going to roar past me, choking in cloud of digital dust, and trailing in an area of expertise that I felt was safely “my own.”

Virginia Woolf insisted that a woman who wanted to write, and be recognized, needed a room (and money) of her own. I wonder what she would make of today’s online publishing opportunities? All I know is, having a blog of one’s own can be a very empowering experience. It affords connections and opportunities that would be impossible for most of us, unless we had plump publishing contracts. I let loose with a resounding “Whoo-hooooo!” every time I find another woman who is creating a successful niche for herself online.

I guess my having a blog of my own doesn’t preclude Ted having one of his own. Our new household theme is “He said, she said.” No, wait, “She said, he said.” Better.

Not that I’m competitive or anything.

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